Garment and belt means therefor



0 m s S WWW T N N 8 R N00 T 1M WM DR B Feb. 23, 1937. E. REGIS ET AL GARMENT AND BELT MEANS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 2, 1934 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE lyn,

Application November 2, 1934, Serial No. 751,174

7 Claims.

This invention relates to garments, and particularly to adjustable garment belt arrangements.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved garment and garment belt arrangement, and particularly one such that the garment itself need not be open or split where the size adjustment is provided, the waist size may be readily adjusted, the garment will not bunch up and cannot flare out, and extra fullness below the belt band will be available and yet taken up neatly when not required.

In the drawing, where we have shown one illustrative embodiment of our invention,

Fig. l is a rear perspective view of the upper portion of a pair of pants, such as the pants of a childs ski suit, with the arrangement of our invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic view showing the arrangement at the smallest adjustment; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the arrangement at the largest adjustment.

The main body of the garment is designated as I 0. It is provided at the top with a permanently attached waist-encircling belt l2, which is a permanent portion of the garment, and it and the garment body may, as desired, either be closed all the way around or have a side or front open seam with conventional fastening means therefor.

This belt and the upper portion of the garment, at the rear, are made extra full to form a gusset I 4, which tapers in to point [5. This gusset is doubled inwardly with two Z-folds, their outer folded edges nearly abutting. The four folded edges are designated as I6, I8, 20 and 22.

Two straps, A and B, are sewed or otherwise anchored to the back of the garment at or near these folded edges, as at 24 and 26, respectively.

Strap A extends from its anchor 24 in between these edges and through a button-hole in folded edge 20, and then out through a buttonhole 30 in belt l2.

The strap A is provided with a preferably elongated button-hole 32 intermediate its edges and preferably beginning about the same distance from the strap anchor 24 as the folded edge l6, and extending thence a distance substantially equal to the distance between folds I6 and I8.

Strap B is anchored to the belt I2 as at 26, and extends through the elongated button-hole 32 in strap A, passing at the same time in between folded edges l6 and 22, then passes through a button-hole in folded edge l8, and then out through a button-hole 34 in belt l2.

The straps A and B are then led around the garment, preferably through conventional loops, and adjustably fastened together in front, as by a conventional buckle.

In use, the straps A and B will be pulled as tight as desired and fastened. Gusset portion M will always, in all adjustments, keep the garment closed so that no opening will appear and there will be no mere overlapping. That is, the garment is always formed as one continuously closed piece of fabric here in spite of the adjustability.

Provision of such a gusset in connection with the straps allows greater play and freedom to the wearer, with consequently greater comfort. At the same time the gusset portion lies flat and regular, whether completely extended, folded to minimum size, or similarly folded at an intermediate adjustment. It has been found in use that this construction tends always to lie flat and evenly disposed and not bunched up, due to the natural lay of the cloth as thus constructed, and due to the equal and opposite pull of the two straps. The fact that the straps pass through the folded in portions of the gusset near the top keeps this extra fullness material from sagging down and making an unsightly and uncomfortable bunching.

It will be noted that with this construction the two straps not only meet but overlap each other at the back, whereby greater strength and security against tearing and pulling apart is attained.

It will be obvious that the principles of this invention can be applied in many different embodiments, and to many different garments, other than as here shown. As an example of such varied embodiments, this arrangement might be used as an adjustment alone and not as a belt. In such case the straps A and B would either be fastened separately to the sides of the garment as by buttons, or would be doubled back and fastened together at the back. Hence we wish to be limited only by the appended claims and not to the particular illustrative showing hereof. I

We claim:

1. A garment having increasingly great extra fullness from a point spaced from the edge, to the edge, said extra material being folded inwardly toward the body of the wearer into a triangular double pleat, a strap anchored to the garment at one side of the pleat, passing in through the central opening, then through an opening in the far edge fold of the pleat, and then out through the garment, and a second strap anchored to the garment at the other side of the pleat, passing in through the central opening, then through an opening in the far edge fold of the pleat, and then out through the garment.

2. Device of claim 1 in which the first strap is provided with an opening through which the second strap passes intermediate their anchorages and their passing through the far edges of the pleat.

3. Device of claim 1 in which the first strap is provided with an opening through which the second strap passes intermediate their anchorages and their passing through the far edges of the pleat, said opening being so positioned and so elongated as to come opposite the central opening of the pleat when the pleat is closed, and when the pleat is open to come opposite the opening in the pleat which is nearer the anchorage of said first strap.

4. In a garment a continuous circumferential portion having a pleat formed by folding the material successively to the left, to the right, to the right, and to the left, the distance between the second and third folds being substantially equal to the sum of the distances between the first and second folds and the third and fourth folds, an opening at the second fold, an opening at the third fold, a strap anchored to the non-pleated part of the garment at the left of the pleat and passing through the opening at the third fold, and a strap anchored to the nonpleated part of the garment at the right of the pleat and passing through the opening at the second fold.

5. In a garment a continuous circumferential portion having a first opening, to the right of that a first fold, to the left, then spaced therefrom a second fold, to the right, having a secnd opening at that fold, then spaced therefrom a third fold, to the right, having a third opening at that fold, then spaced therefrom a fourth fold, to the left, then spaced therefrom a fourth opening, the distance from the first opening to the first fold being not less than the distance from the first fold to the second fold, the distance from the fourth fold to the fourth opening being not less than the distance from the third fold to the fourth fold, a first strap anchored to the garment portion between the first opening and the first fold and passing inside the pleat, through the third opening, and then through the fourth opening, a second strap anchored to the garment portion between the fourth fold and the fourth opening and passing inside the pleat, through the second opening, and then through the first opening.

6. Device of claim 5 in which one of the straps has an opening extending from opposite the fold nearest its anchorage for a distance equal to the distance from that fold to the adjacent fold, and the other strap passes through the opening in that strap.

'7. In a garment a continuous circumferential portion having a pleat formed by folding the material successively to the left, to the right, to the right, and to the left, the distance between the second and third folds being substantially equal to the sum of the distances between the first and second folds and the third and fourth folds, an opening at the second fold, an opening at the third fold, a strap anchored to the nonpleated part of the garment no further to the right than the first fold and passing through the opening at the third fold, and a strap anchored to the non-pleated part of the garment no further to the left than the fourth fold and passing through the opening at the second fold.

EDWARD REGIS. GERARDO ESPOSITO. 

